Putin appoints general who led Mariupol assault as new Russian Ground Forces Commander

Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed Colonel General Andrey Mordvichev, who led the assault on Mariupol in 2022, as the Commander of the Russian Ground Forces, Russian state-controlled media reported on May 15.

The appointment comes amid media reports claiming that Russia is preparing a major new offensive in Ukraine despite ongoing peace efforts led by the U.S.

Mordvichev was a commander of the 8th Guards Combined Arms Army of Russia’s Southern Military District, which was heavily involved in the devastating 2022 siege of Mariupol which killed tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians, according to Kyiv.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in September 2022 said that while stationed in Mariupol, Mordvichev reportedly met with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov to approve plans for the final assault on the city, including the encirclement and storming of Azovstal, where Ukrainian troops and civilians were sheltering.

Under Mordvichev’s command, Russian troops carried out the destruction of civilian infrastructure and committed atrocities against both civilians and the Ukrainian military, the SBU said.

It also found that Mordvichev has been directly involved in other areas of Russia’s full-scale invasion, including the coordination of Russian forces in the Donetsk Oblast.

It was also reported that Putin personally praised him and awarded him the title of Hero of Russia for the capture of Avdiivka on March 28, 2024.

Mordvichev has been notified of suspicion under part 3 of Art. 110 (encroachment on Ukraine's territorial integrity and inviolability resulting in deaths and other grave consequences), part 2 of Art. 437 (waging an aggressive war), part 2 of Art. 28 (committing a crime by a group of individuals in prior conspiracy) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Mordvichev will replace General Oleg Saliukov, who was appointed as deputy secretary of the Security Council on May 15.

Saliukov, who turns 70 on May 21, had led Russia’s Ground Forces and the Moscow Garrison since 2014, according to Radio Liberty.

Known for overseeing annual Victory Day parades on Red Square from 2014 through 2025, he is currently under Western sanctions for his role in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

His retirement from active military service had been expected this month under Russian law, which mandates retirement at age 70 unless a special exemption is granted.

Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s former defense minister, has headed the Security Council since May 2024 and now has several deputies, including Saliukov.